Nutrition & Survival:
Bring on the sun baby!

All plants need the sun to make their food. They must convert the sunlight into sugar for food. The conversion process begins by capturing light energy that comes from the sun. The chloroplasts of plants are responsible for converting the light energy into chemical energy and storing it in the form of sugar and other organic molecules. Plants are autotrophs, which means that as long as they have water, minerals from the soil, and CO₂ from the air, they can make their own food.

The first order of business is acquiring the water. The water is pulled up by the xylem which are  transport vessels in the stems. It just so happens that the Frangipani don't need very much water in their environment in order to perform photosynthesis. They can withstand high temperatures for long periods of time and therefore they are very drought resistant.

Note: Frangipani grow best in slightly acidic or alkaline soil that is well-drained and with plentiful sunshine.

The second order is transporting the converted sugars to the plant areas that need energy. This is done by tissues called phloem. The sugar that is produced by photosynthesis in plants is stored as starch.

How do plants breathe?
The CO₂ that we exhale into the air is used in the process of photosynthesis, and the O₂ that we, as humans, need to breathe is a byproduct of photosynthesis. This exchange of CO₂ and O₂ gas occurs in small mouth-like openings in the leaf called stomata. You probably know that we need O₂ for respiration in order to live. We exhibit a mutualistically beneficial relationship with plants in that we provide CO₂ for them and they provide O₂ for us to survive!


All organisms need the proper nutrition to grow and thrive and continue the species... Check out the Reproduction page to see just how the continuation of species works for the Frangipani!



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